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The S95 draft class is starting to take shape and it looks like it will be a good one. With many predicted top end prospects available in the first round, covering the whole gamut of positions, the question being asked is can Roger Eagles be the second Eagles drafted first overall?

The last Eagles to be drafted first overall was the most recent in Henry Eagles but Roger will have a much tougher time. Why? The only reason is that he is a goalie and goalies are usually not drafted first overall. The most recent goalie to be drafted 1st overall was Art Vandelay and that was 10 seasons ago in S84. Teams tend to usually take the high end scoring forward or a cornerstone defenseman and hope that the goalie drops to a lower pick which ends up happening quite a bit. There is also only a handful of teams that may need a goalie in the next few seasons so this will also play a factor.

With Roger Eagles currently being the #1 available prospect on paper in terms of TPE earned, leading the next closest prospect by 51 TPE at the time of writing this article, he may not end up going first overall or even in the top 5. It will all come down to what team has the first overall pick and what those teams needs are. Will the team pick based on best player available? Positional need? Reputation of the player?
No one will know until that draft starts and the teams are on the clock.

TPE earned is also not the only thing potential teams will look at but also how you have played in your minor league season and Roger has so far been playing extremely well. He skipped the VHLM to play in the higher skilled VHLE league to test himself and in 14games played so far he is 5-5-3 with a Save percentage of .942 (1st in the VHLE) and a goals against average of 2.21 (2nd in the VHLE). He is consistently showing that he is able to play against higher skilled players and perform, giving his team the best opportunity to win game in and game out.

 

The Eagles dynasty are also known to be high earning players with the most recent Eagles, Henry, holding onto the 24th spot in highest career VHL earners. This shows that any players with the Eagles name will be dedicated to training, improving themselves and always being at he top of their game.

But will this be enough?

While the standings may and probably will change, lets look at the bottom 3 teams who could potentially land first overall.

Calgary (Courtesy of Prague 1st round):

The team exceeding all expectations this season with their stellar start to the season could also land the first overall pick thanks to holding Pragues 1st overall pick this season. With Calgary already having a young and exceptional starting goalie, it is very unlikely they would select a goalie if they get the first overall pick. Even with the Eagles dynasty history with Calgary, it would be seen as a wasted pick as they have their goalie of the future already.

Los Angeles:

Another team that could possible land the 1st overall pick. LA is a rebuilding team with a need in every position. They have a very solid prospect pool of players that will be ready in the next 1-2 seasons. The question now is would they take a goalie first overall or would they rather opt for one of the two franchise wingers or the Cornerstone defenseman that would be also available. This early in the season I believe it would be a toss up between one of the two wingers and possible the goalie as LA has a stockpile of great up and coming defenders.

 

DC:

The last team we will focus on today to see if they would take a goalie first overall. DC Is another rebuilding team with needs in every position except goalie. The Dragons have a solid young goalie in Benson who they are very happy with and have handed him the reigns as the goalie of the future. Once again with the other top end franchise players available in the draft, it would be hard to see the Dragons taking a goalie with the first overall.

As we see above, the 3 teams that could potentially land the #1 overall would most likely not waste the first overall on a goalie due to other more pressing positional needs. This could see Roger Eagles stock significantly drop and might even drop him out of the top 5. This could lead to a similar path to Greg Eagles who was drafted 19th overall in the second round but ended up probably being a top 5 player out of that draft class as well as winning multiple awards.

We spoke to Roger on this possibility

 

" You know to me it doesn't matter what position I get drafted, could be first, could be 10th, could be 49th. That part makes no difference to me " he said " Teams make decisions based on their current needs and being a team player I understand those choices. I will go whatever position I go and will play to the best of my ability to whoever drafts me. Those things are out of my control and I will be happy to play anywhere in the VHL"

It is still too early in the season for the VHL media to start putting together their draft predictions but it will be interesting to see where Roger Eagles ends up on their lists. Depending on how the draft lottery goes a solid playoff team can end up getting a steal if Roger drops far enough down the list. In the end, whoever does end up drafting Roger, they know they are getting a future all-star player with a great name pedigree. This is a player that can change the future of a franchise and could be the best Eagles yet to grace the VHL ice.

 

 

1017 words
 

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https://vhlforum.com/topic/148934-can-roger-eagles-go-first-overall/
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Because of the red in Calgary my senses are leaning on D.C. but your right, goaltenders sometimes get the shortend of the scouting and if there's a big pool it's better to gamble on a later pick or finding one elsewhere. Sticking to the plan is key though, happy to hear how the family compares and you've kept at it all these seasons! 🦅  🥅

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